Airbnb or Hotel?

If you are thinking of trying an Airbnb, here are a few tips to get you started:

Tip#1: If it’s your first time, stay local.

To get the feel of renting an Airbnb, choose one in an area nearby and book it for a few nights. Maybe you would like to live at the nearby lake . If so, find an Airbnb on the lake and book it for a few nights. If it’s not for you, you can just go home.

You don’t need to “travel” to take advantage of what Airbnb’s have to offer.

Family in town for the weekend and your house is too small? Rent a local 5 bedroom house and stay in comfort.

Co-workers looking to have an off-site meeting for a day or two? Get a local Airbnb with a big dining table to meet at. Have lunch delivered or do a pot luck.

Baby on the way? Rent an Airbnb close to the hospital.

Tip#2: Read several user reviews. You can get a lot of info from reviews. “Bright, sunny bedrooms! We woke up with the sunrise every morning!” Not an early bird? You might want to find a place with comments like “Blackout blinds let us sleep in late.”

Tip#3: Evaluate any negative reviews to see if it sounds like an expectation that wasn’t met, versus a major problem. “The second bathroom only had a shower stall and only one shelf to put shampoo.” This is very different than, “Hot water heater undersized for a five bedroom house. Only two people got warm water in the morning.”

Also, is the low rating due to an administrative type of error, like a check-in time? Normally these situations are quickly resolved by the host.

Tip#4: Know your Airbnb’s address. Write it down and keep it handy in case of emergency. If you needed an ambulance or fire truck in an emergency, having your Airbnb’s address could save a life. It’s also handy if you get lost, or need to take a taxi or Uber back to your Airbnb.

Tip#5: You are reviewed, too. Hosts use reviews the same way guests do. If you are a lousy guest, you could end up with a low rating and hosts will choose other guests instead of you – just like season 3, episode 1 of Black Mirror.

Thank you for reading this post. Please leave a comment below, especially if you are an Airbnb Host or frequent renter of Airbnb’s. Please share additional information that might help a first-timer.